Bloom
by CocytusWhisper
Summary: Five-year-old Sakura Haruno wasn't expecting to become an orphan, and she misses her parents... But she has an awesome eyepatch, a badass big brother, a prank-loving new best friend, a shy-but-fun alternate best friend, met the most awesome monkey ever... Oh, and the old guy's not bad either, but he sure is old.
1. Birth

**Preface:**

 **This is the story I mentioned in my last update of Bonds — the majority consensus that I got across the sites on which I post was that readers would prefer to see this put up immediately but with irregular updates as and when chapters are written, so that's what I'll be doing! It will not affect the posting schedule of my main two stories, and may vary between a rapid slew of updates and periods of silence. With that in mind…**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, it belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.**

 **Birth**

Sakura smiled up at her parents as they left the restaurant, her stomach pleasantly full. She let out a yawn, prompting her father to laugh and ruffle her hair.

"Tired, sweetie?"

"Mm." She nodded.

"Too tired for ice cream?"

The five-year-old's eyes widened. "Nooooo!" She shook her head vigorously.

Her mother lightly slapped her father on the arm. "Don't tease her, dear. You know she's never too tired for _ice cream_."

"Yeah!" Sakura puffed out her cheeks and glared up at her father.

"I'm sorry, honey." The man shook his head, still smiling.

"Hmph." The little girl turned her head away and closed her eyes. She heard her parents chuckling, and her mouth twisted into a pout.

The pout became a wide smile when her father swept her up in his arms.

"Come on, you. Let's go get some dessert."

"Yay!" She wrapped her arms around his neck and made herself comfortable.

The ice cream shop wasn't far, and it wasn't long before Sakura was happily devouring three large scoops of strawberry ice cream. She closed her eyes to savor the taste, enjoying the feeling of the treat melting on her tongue.

As hard as she tried to make it last — and as careful as she was to limit how much she ate per bite, having had far too many experiences with brain freeze in the past — all of the ice cream vanished in a matter of minutes, and she was left staring forlornly into her bowl.

Sakura sneaked a peek at her parents — they were distracted with their conversation, the words flying over her head. She surreptitiously raised her bowl to her mouth and ran her tongue along the interior, carefully gathering up every remaining drop. It seemed that she had gotten away with it this time — her mother insisted that she had to be more ladylike, and that meant she wasn't allowed to lick her plates and bowls. It was totally unfair, and a waste of good food!

She caught her father's eye and he winked. So she _had_ been noticed… And here she thought she'd been properly sneaky! At least _he_ would cover for her. He was the _fun_ one.

"Ready to go, Sakura?" He asked.

"Mhm!" She hopped to her feet and raised her arms. He laughed and picked her up.

"You're spoiling her, dear." Her mother sighed, but she was smiling.

"Oh come on," her father complained. "How much longer am I gonna be able to carry her like this, huh? I've gotta enjoy it while it lasts!"

"Ya'll always be able ta carry me, Daddy!"

"I wish, sweetheart." He pressed a kiss to her forehead. "But you're growing up, and soon you'll be too big for me to hold, even if you inherit my height."

"Then I jus' won' grow up!" Sakura pouted.

"Sakura!" Her mother chided. "You'll need to be independent someday. You see, Kizashi? This is exactly what I meant."

Her father rolled her eyes. "She's still a child, Mebuki. Give her time."

"C'n we go ta the park?" Sakura butted in.

"I thought you were tired?" Her mother asked.

"M'not," Sakura yawned.

"We can go to the park tomorrow, okay honey?" Her father gently bounced her in his arms. "You can barely keep your eyes open, and it's getting dark."

"'kay," she mumbled.

Her parents traded a smile.

* * *

Sakura fell asleep on the way home, but woke up as her mother opened the door.

And that was when it went wrong.

Her mother collapsed with a scream and a spray of blood, courtesy of the sword held by the surprised burglar. Her father attempted to avoid the man's next strike, but Sakura's weight slowed him enough that he was wounded. A second mad flail from the assailant scored a line down Sakura's face, biting deep into her left eye. She cried out in pain as she fell from her father's arms. A moment later, his body collapsed next to her.

Sakura glared up at her parents' killer, sobbing from the pain in her face. Was this how she was going to die?

The man's eyes, previously focused on Sakura, snapped up at a sound behind her. He immediately collapsed, and Sakura felt herself being picked up.

Her rescuer was small, and she was amazed that he had the strength to carry her. As she watched, his eyes changed from red with black pinwheels to a solid onyx. He frowned as he surveyed the bodies on the ground before him, eyes pained.

"I am sorry that I was so slow. There is nothing that can be done for them."

"No," Sakura whimpered. "Yer lyin'!"

He closed his eyes.

"Yer lyin'!" She screamed.

"I need to get you to the hospital. This will be disorienting."

The world swam, the wind pushing against her forcefully, and they were at the hospital.

The woman at the desk inside took one look at Sakura and yelled for a doctor. The girl found herself being poked and prodded by a variety of medical personnel, a strange gel eventually being applied to her face before it was covered with a wrap. Her eye never left the face of her rescuer, who remained silently at the edge of the room.

When the doctors were done, he moved up to her bed.

"She will live, Uchiha-san," the lead doctor assured him. "However, her eye…"

"I suspected as much." The boy — Uchiha-san? — seemed to sag for a moment before regaining his perfect posture. "Thank you for your assistance." He offered a deep bow.

"It was no trouble, Uchiha-san." The doctor left the room. Sakura was now alone with Uchiha-san.

"I can only offer my condolences for your loss," the boy murmured. "And another apology for my failure."

He bowed to her and turned to leave. Sakura's hand shot out and grabbed his.

"D'n't go," she begged.

The ninja looked down at her and nodded. Using his free hand, he pulled out a small pad of paper from his bag, from which he tore two pieces. A pen made an appearance, and a pair of notes were scribbled. His fingers blurred, and a raven appeared in a puff of smoke.

"Could you please take this to my father?" The boy held out one of the folded notes. "And then this one to Kiyoko." The other was passed to the summon as well.

"Of course, Itachi-san." The bird inclined its head in response to the ninja's grateful bow and took flight, swiftly making its way out of the hospital.

The now-named Itachi sat down on the stool next to Sakura's bed.

"I will be here when you wake," he promised.

Sakura gave him a tremulous smile as her eyes fluttered shut.

True to his word, he was there when she awoke, still holding her hand.

 **AN:**

 **To get it out of the way, this is** ** _not_** **a Sakura/Itachi story — he's an older brother, not a love interest. The pairings for this story are very much decided, and very, very far into the future. Don't expect to see any romance between small children, please, because it's not happening.**

 **Puppy love? Crushes? Sure, that stuff is a normal part of growing up and might or might not make an appearance. But no actual, serious dating or romance of any kind will come until our protagonists are** ** _considerably_** **older. And since we'll be following them through much of childhood… Yeah, if you're just here for romance, you might wanna go. If you're here for a badass tomboy Sakura and her similarly awesome pals, feel free to stay. Don't expect any characters to get the so-called 'bashing' treatment, either. That stuff's boring and I have no interest in perpetuating it.**

 **Other details:**

 **I won't be using a ton of Japanese in this story, because I don't speak it (and my best friend, who** ** _does_** **speak some Japanese, A) hates Naruto and B) would probably kill me if I used Google Translate). From what I've seen honorifics seem to be considered obligatory in this fandom, so I** ** _will_** **be using those, insofar as I understand them.**

 **This is a massively AU story, with many changes to the history of the world, how abilities work, the nature of chakra and bloodlines, and so on. If something looks different from how you know it, that's because it is. Either it's something that I'm deliberately AUing or something that I was genuinely mistaken about (it** ** _has_** **been some time since I read most of Naruto, after all — it's kind of a long series) but included, in which case it is now a part of the AU. I will** ** _not_** **be changing such things — since it's already an AU, I might as well go all out. Don't expect a lot of the fanfiction staples, because things are** ** _different_** **. No Wave arcs here!**

 **We'll generally be seeing things alongside Sakura, so if you're looking for a story starring a crudely-spoken, rough-and-tumble Sakura, you're in the right place! That said, as we add more primary characters we'll occasionally have chapters focused on them, and that will cover a wide range of personalities.**

 **Don't think that Sakura and her friends will be having an easy ride, no matter how confident** ** _they_** **may be. Young people tend to be a little overly assured of their own invincibility… Figures like the Akatsuki are** ** _significantly_** **more threatening than they were in canon. It will take everything that our protagonists have and then some to take them down.**

 **Smaller threats? Sure, some of those will go down pretty easily. It's no good to deny your protagonists any simple victories to celebrate unless you're writing much more of a downer story than I intend to.**

 **If you're familiar with the overall tone of my main pair of stories, don't expect that from this (if the categories didn't tip you off already). While it can and will get dark, the _overall_ tone is going to be much more light-hearted. I'm a pretty optimistic person, so anything I write will have some kind of current of that, even if it's not always visible from the surface. This one? It's surface-level… Most of the time, at least.**

 **As a concluding piece of trivia, this is actually one of two drafts of the first chapter. The other one stayed light and fluffy and _didn't_ end with Sakura as an orphan with some nice new trauma! I ended up going with this one because I had more fun with its followup chapters, which I'll be posting over the course of the next day or two.**


	2. Itachi

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, it belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.**

 **Itachi**

The faint rays of the rising sun filtered into the room through the half-opened curtains, allowing the shadows of the leaves on the trees outside to dance on the wall.

Sakura stared, mouth pursed.

Itachi Uchiha stared back, expression calm.

It was Sakura who blinked first, and she pouted. Itachi began to ruffle her hair, the action appearing instinctive, but froze and began to withdraw his hand when he realized what he was doing. Sakura had frozen too, surprised by — but not upset at — the familiar gesture. Her father had always… Her father!

"Um, Uchiha-san?" Her voice trembled.

He raised an eyebrow.

"My parents…" Sakura couldn't get the rest out, the words sticking in her throat.

The boy's eyes closed, and a grimace made a brief appearance on his face. "I am afraid that they are dead."

Sakura's breath hitched. The next thing she knew, Itachi was cradling her against his chest as she sobbed into his shoulder. He didn't say a word, simply stroking her back.

How long did she cry? The room was bright when she finally felt herself run out of tears, and her stomach was rumbling. Two plates of eggs had been placed on the bedside table at some point, likely by a nurse. They were cold, but Sakura was hungry, and Itachi didn't seem to mind either.

She stayed in his lap as she ate, and he didn't comment on the bits of egg that ended up on his clothing. He ate perfectly, every motion the picture of elegance. Not a single crumb fell from his meal. Sakura was _crazy_ jealous.

When they finished eating, Sakura stared down at her hands. Itachi said nothing, seemingly content to let things go at her pace.

"…'nk you," she mumbled. A blush crept onto her face. Her mother would have been _super_ upset with her for treating a stranger like this. He must think she was so rude.

"It is no trouble." Itachi smiled at her, and her blush deepened as she looked down again.

The fact that he was being so nice about it made it worse. Her mother had always been very firm about the fact that she needed to let people go about their business without bothering them. She'd wasted so much of his time.

A finger poked her forehead.

"It is no trouble," he repeated. "I had time."

She smiled shyly up at him and he ruffled her hair, not pulling away from the action this time.

"Do you have any other family in Konoha?" Itachi looked troubled by the question.

Sakura's shoulders drooped. "No."

"I see." The Uchiha let out a sigh. "I suppose that you will be sent to an orphanage, then."

Tears beaded in Sakura's eye again, and the boy absentmindedly wrapped his arms around her as he gazed into space.

"I will speak to the Hokage about your placement. I have heard that the best of our orphanages is near capacity, but a donation would likely open up some more space if necessary."

Sakura's face scrunched up as she tried to understand what the older boy was saying. Donation? Opening space? Her eye widened.

"No!" She clapped her hands over her mouth, embarrassed that she had yelled. "Um, I mean… No, ya can't, tha's too much."

Itachi frowned at her. "It is not. I had been saving money for such a venture. It is important that the village's orphans be given the best care available, and the Hokage can only divert so much funding for it. This has simply accelerated my timetable by a week or two."

Sakura glared. Itachi calmly gazed back.

"Fiiiiine," she finally relented. When had she ever won an argument with a grown-up? …Was Itachi a grown-up? He didn't look like one, but the way the doctors had treated him… And he was obviously a ninja.

Sakura rubbed at her eyes. One hand met nothing but bandages.

"Um, Uchiha-san? When c'n I take these off?"

Itachi winced. "It would be fine for you to do so now, but-"

Sakura didn't wait for him to finish, pulling at the bandages. When they came off, her sight remained one-sided.

"Why can' I see?" She began to hyperventilate.

"Your eye was… Unsalvageable. I am afraid that you will never be able to see from it again."

Sakura whimpered and wrapped her arms tightly around Itachi's torso as she cried again. He hugged her back far more gently than she was holding him, but made no protest about her own forcefulness. She probably wasn't strong enough to hurt him, anyway.

Her tears lasted for a much shorter span of time than they had earlier — maybe she was getting cried out. As she began to calm down, a much more important thought occurred to her.

"Um, Uchiha-san? Does this mean I get an eyepatch?"

"If you would like." He nodded.

"Yes!" She was once again embarrassed by her own exuberance. This was a hospital, she had to be quiet! But… An _eyepatch_! Yes! Was there anything else that _awesome_? Aside from a super ninja like Uchiha-san who had killed a guy by looking at him, anyway.

That was what had happened, right? Nothing had happened to the guy, he'd just looked at Uchiha-san and dropped dead. Maybe Uchiha-san glared him to death? He looked really nice when he smiled, but when he was frowning you could totally imagine him having a terrifying glare.

Sakura lost herself in a fantasy of breaking into an evil fortress with her _Totally Awesome Eyepatch_ and glaring an evil ninja demon lord to death ("Oh no, it's Eyepatch Sakura!" he'd scream as he died) to rescue a princess, then sweeping the grateful girl up into her arms and riding off into the sunset on her giant dragon, who had a Totally Awesome Eyepatch of her own.

"Uchiha-san, c'n ya teach me how ta glare someone ta death?"

Itachi blinked, his amused expression giving way to confusion before his calm face returned. "I am afraid that I do not understand. Why do you believe that I am capable of glaring someone to death?"

"'s what ya did ta tha' guy last night, isn' it?"

"Ah." Comprehension dawned in his expression. "Yes, I suppose that you could describe it that way. I am afraid that it is not something that can be taught to non-Uchiha — it is a skill that I obtained due to practice with my clan's bloodline limit, the Sharingan."

Sakura pouted. "C'n I have a sherry-gun?"

"I am afraid that it only manifests in Uchiha." He looked genuinely apologetic.

"…Hmph." Sakura looked away, then looked back. "If ya can' teach me how ta do tha', c'n ya teach me ta be a ninja?"

A contemplative look settled itself on Itachi's face. "Why is it that you want to be a ninja?"

"B'cuz…" Sakura trailed off, thinking. A moment later, her expression grew firm. "I wanna be strong. I wanna be able ta protec' myself, an' protec' people like ya protected me."

"Not to rescue princesses with your dragon?" Itachi's eyes twinkled as Sakura blushed. She hadn't realized she was speaking out loud earlier!

"Well, I c'n always do tha' too." Sakura huffed, turning her head away and trying to gather what remained of her dignity.

The Uchiha sighed, face resigned. "It is not my place to dissuade you, but your reasons are noble… Which makes it all the more important that I warn you: the life of a ninja is hard, and you will likely have to do things that you do not approve of. You will be in service to the village, a weapon wielded for its needs. You may be called on to kill those who do not deserve it or ruin a life to advance some petty agenda. Ninja are _not_ noble heroes, and your intentions will not change that. Are you _sure_?"

Sakura's eyes glazed as she tried to understand what Itachi was saying. Were ninja really like that?

"Have… Have ya done tha' stuff, Uchiha-san?"

"I have." A look of deep pain crossed his face so quickly that Sakura almost thought she had imagined it.

"Why do ya do it if ya don' wanna be a ninja?"

He smiled at her, but it was empty. "I did not have a choice. I wish to ensure that you do."

Sakura closed her eyes in thought, but deep down she had already decided.

"I wanna be a ninja." Her eye burned.

A single tear slipped down Itachi's cheek. He made no motion to wipe it away. "Then I will do my best to ensure that you survive. As an active ninja, my free time is limited… But I will make time for you."

"'nk you, Uchiha-sensei." Sakura gave an awkward bow from her position in his lap.

The boy sighed. "Please do not thank me for this. One day you will curse my name, and I will deserve it… But so long as you survive, I will be content." He gave her another empty smile. "But please, if we are doing this, call me Itachi. 'Uchiha-san' makes me feel… Old."

"'kay, Itachi-sensei." Sakura hugged him. She wasn't sure what to make of his other words, so she put them aside for now, save for a single resolution.

This was her choice. She would never curse him for that.

 **AN:**

 **To get** ** _another_** **thing out of the way,** ** _no_** **, Sakura will** ** _not_** **be obtaining a Sharingan/Byakugan/Rinnegan/Custom-Almighty-Eye-Of-Bullshit. She's missing an eye, and thus lacks peripheral vision on the left side of her head. This is Not A Good Thing (no matter how much Sakura loves eyepatches), not a lazy path to some absurd powerup that trivializes every obstacle in her path.** ** _You_** **try fighting multiple opponents with two good eyes, let alone a blind spot equal to half of your entire body. It's a massive handicap on her career before it's even begun — either she works on that sensing or she dies the moment things get dangerous… And chakra-sensing isn't exactly useful for avoiding traditional traps.**

 **As for Itachi… He's Not Happy with the situation, but he's all too familiar with the culture of the village that causes children to sign up to kill and die, and knows he can't change it. If he can ensure that someone conned by it at least manages to** ** _survive…_**


	3. The Old Man

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, it belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.**

 **The Old Man**

Sakura stared at the old man behind the desk in awe, hands happily fiddling with her new eyepatch. It was a simple black cloth patch that Itachi had purchased from a store on their way to the tower, but it was an _eyepatch_ and it was _hers_ , and so it was _awesome_.

"I see," he hummed, puffing on his pipe. "So Sakura-chan needs a home now, does she?"

"Yes, Hokage-sama." Itachi nodded. "I am aware that the Hiroyuki Home is almost at capacity, but I was thinking that if a donation were set up…"

"Yes, that would likely be possible." The Hokage gave Itachi an assessing look. "Do you have any thoughts, Sakura-chan?"

"Yer so _old_." Sakura whispered, eye wide as she gazed at him. Her brain caught up with her mouth a moment later and she blushed, burying her face in Itachi's side.

Rather than the anger she expected, her declaration was greeted with a hearty burst of laughter from the Hokage. Itachi's torso shook lightly as he suppressed his own amusement.

"I am, aren't I?" The Hokage asked. Sakura sneaked a peek at him and discovered that he was grinning broadly at her. "I'm sixty-one years old, can you believe that? I should be kicking back in bed irritating my children with my crotchety behavior, but here I am." He gave an exaggerated shrug, and Sakura giggled.

She detached from Itachi and gave the Hokage a shy smile, which he returned.

"I think you would get along with another child I know," Hiruzen mused. "Itachi-kun, while you are free to make a donation if you would like to do so, I will handle Sakura-chan's admission to the Hiroyuki Home myself. Naruto-kun has been having trouble making friends, and I think he and Sakura-chan would find they have much in common."

"That is most generous of you, Hokage-sama." Itachi's eyes had widened slightly in surprise. "Are you certain?"

"I am." The old man looked sad, and Sakura frowned. What was wrong? "Sakura-chan, will you do a favor for me?"

"Uh-huh." She nodded. If it would make him happy again, of course she would! He was so nice, nothing like she'd expected him to be. She realized she'd spoken aloud again when he laughed, but refused to hide her face despite her blush.

"There's a boy at the orphanage, Naruto Uzumaki. He's about your age, and he doesn't have many friends — do you think you could be his friend?"

"Of course!" Sakura was indignant that the question even needed to be asked. If she saw someone lonely, of course she'd cheer them up!

"Thank you." The Hokage looked like an enormous weight had been lifted from his shoulders.

"'s no problem, old man." She smiled at him and he burst into laughter again.

"Yes, I think you and he will get along _very_ well. You have the same way with words."

Sakura pouted. She wasn't sure what he meant, but she _knew_ he was making fun of her. It felt nice, though, like when her father had teased her, though maybe it was a little more like her grandfather had been… And now she was tearing up again.

Hiruzen looked concerned. "Are you all right, Sakura-chan?"

"'s okay," she whispered, hugging Itachi's side. He wrapped an arm around her. "Was thinkin' abou'…"

"Ahhh." The Hokage gave her a sympathetic smile. "I'm truly sorry for your loss. I've done my best to make Konoha a safe place to live, but…"

"'s not your fault, old man." Sakura wiped her eye with Itachi's sleeve. "Ya weren' there."

The Hokage's eyes suddenly widened. "Itachi-kun, you said Sakura has no family at all?"

"That is what she told me," he agreed.

"Who dealt with the bodies?"

"Shisui was with me. I asked him to take the perpetrator to the station for identification and her parents to the morgue."

"Did her parents have arrangements for a funeral?"

"Shisui's message said that they did not, but he has arranged for one to take place in two weeks."

Hiruzen smiled gently. "He's a good boy, Shisui-kun. Always so thoughtful."

"He is." Itachi smiled back.

Sakura wasn't sure what to say. This Shisui — a friend of Itachi's? — was paying for her parents' funeral? She tugged on Itachi's sleeve.

"We had some money," she muttered. "I don' need it — c'n ya give it to Shisui-san for me? He din't need ta do tha'."

"He would not accept it." Itachi replied, eyes fondly exasperated. "Once he decides to do something to help someone, a bijuu could not change his mind. Shisui can afford a funeral."

"Oh." Sakura accepted that at face value. Itachi hadn't lied about anything so far, and from the stories she'd been told, her grandmother had been exactly like Itachi was describing Shisui. The eighty-year-old woman had died in the Kyuubi attack, but she had delivered "those damn cupcakes" to the orphanage in time for some kid's birthday despite losing a leg on the way.

She didn't want to know what someone like that would do if she refused to accept his generosity.

"C'n I go ta the funeral?"

"Of course!" Itachi looked scandalized. "I will pick you up myself."

"'nk you." Sakura looked down. They were being so nice to her… Wasn't this a burden on them?

"Sakura-chan."

She looked up when the Hokage spoke. He was smiling at her again.

"It's really no trouble. You don't deserve what happened to you, and we can't make it right — please, let us do what little we can."

"'kay." She clasped her hands together in her lap. "'nk you."

"Now, shall we go?" The Hokage stood up.

"If it is all right with you, Hokage-sama, Sakura-san, I should return home. My…" There was a fraction of a second's hesitation before he continued. "Family is likely concerned by now, despite the notes that I sent."

"Of course, Itachi-kun." Hiruzen smiled at him. "Give Kiyoko-chan my best, will you?"

"Of course, Hokage-sama." Itachi bowed.

Sakura pouted. "Fiiiine. Yer still gonna teach me, right?"

"I promise." Itachi ruffled her hair. "I will drop by the orphanage tomorrow and we can decide on a schedule, if that is all right with you?"

"'kay," she agreed. She hugged him again. "'nks for everythin', Itachi-sensei."

"You are very welcome, Sakura-san."

Sakura glared up at him. "Sak'ra- _chan_ ," she emphasized.

He laughed. "You are very welcome, Sakura-chan."

She beamed as he left the room.

"I suppose it's just you and me then, Sakura-chan." The Hokage ruffled her hair, and she grinned up at him. He shiftily glanced left and right and then leaned in. "How would you like to meet a friend of mine?"

Sakura nodded excitedly, and the Hokage's hands blurred. A massive monkey appeared in a puff of smoke.

"What is it, Hiruzen?" The monkey grumbled, scowling. Upon noticing Sakura, his eyes widened. "Who's this?"

"This is Sakura-chan, Enma. She's just lost her parents, and I was about to take her to the Hiroyuki Home. Sakura-chan, this is Enma, one of my oldest and dearest friends. He's the king of the monkeys."

"Cooooool," Sakura whispered, gazing up at the monkey king. He was _huge_! It would take at least twenty Sakuras to be that big!

"It's nice to meet you, Sakura-chan." The monkey crouched down and smiled at her. She grinned back excitedly. "Is there a reason you needed me for this, Hiruzen?"

"I was thinking she might like a piggy-back ride." The old man's eyes were twinkling.

"Oh, I see how it is." The monkey rolled his eyes, but he was still smiling. "You're an old man with an achy back, so I've been reduced to a pack mule, is that it?"

"That's right!" The Hokage's grin threatened to split his head in half.

"Do you see what I have to put up with, Sakura-chan?" Enma complained, winking at her. "Years ago, Hiruzen and I were the most feared combat duo in the entire world. Armies trembled at our approach! We forced the Kyuubi to back away from the village! Now look at us. He's a lazy old man and I'm a beast of burden."

Sakura giggled madly. Enma looked scary, but he was _awesome_ , just like the old man and Itachi-sensei!

"Well, up you go." The monkey lifted her with one massive hand and she found herself atop his shoulders, looking down from the highest vantage point she'd ever had. The ground was so far away!

"This. Is. _Awesome!_ " Her cheeks were starting to hurt from how wide her grin was, but she couldn't stop.

"It is, isn't it?" Hiruzen gave Enma a sly glance. "Maybe you can convince him to carry _me_. My old legs aren't what they used to be…"

"Keep dreaming, Hiruzen." The monkey king's deep laugh made his shoulders shake. "You may not be as spry as you used to be, but you're still one of the strongest ninja in the world."

"It was worth a try." The Hokage shrugged, an innocent expression on his face. Sakura snickered.

A copy of the Hokage appeared in a puff of smoke and sat down at the old man's desk.

"Huh?" Sakura blinked at it.

"Ah, this is a shadow clone, Sakura-chan. I'm leaving it here to keep working while I take you to the orphanage."

"Coooool. Can ya teach me how ta do tha'?"

"Maybe when you're older. It's a difficult technique, and requires chakra reserves far larger than those of a child." He smiled at her, and she nodded enthusiastically. She could wait, if it meant learning something that awesome!

"Shall we leave the fun way, Enma?" Hiruzen raised an eyebrow, glancing between the monkey king and the window.

"Sounds good to me." Enma tightened his grip on Sakura's legs. "Hold on tight to my head, okay Sakura-chan? I won't drop you, I promise, but we should still be careful."

"We're gonna go out the window?" Sakura asked, eye wide. " _Awesome!_ "

When Enma leapt out the window to a building all the way across the street, Sakura's excited cheers echoed loudly through the streets.

* * *

When they arrived at the orphanage, Sakura's face was flushed and her throat was sore from all of her laughter. Enma and the Hokage had kept to the roofs for the trip, running and jumping across the entire village — Sakura was pretty sure they hadn't gone straight to the orphanage, but that was more than fine with her! The pair hadn't stopped playfully bickering the entire time — Sakura couldn't remember the last time she'd had so much fun.

"Here we are, Sakura-chan." The Hokage smiled up at her. "This orphanage was opened with a donation from the last Fire Daimyo, Hiroyuki-dono. The staff are all very kind, and I think you'll like it here."

The building was large — Sakura's fingers counted four rows of windows — and painted a cheerful green. The exterior was well-maintained, and a blooming garden lined the path to the front door.

They entered, Hiruzen in the lead. Enma needed to stoop down and compress his shoulders to fit through the door, and Sakura giggled as her head brushed the top of the doorframe.

"Hokage-sama! Enma-sama!" A young woman greeted them, a surprised look on her face. "Are you here to see Naruto-kun? We weren't expecting you until tomorrow. I think he's in his room — would you like me to fetch him?" Her eyes locked onto Sakura. "Who's this?"

"This is Sakura-chan, Yurika-chan. She's actually the reason that I'm here today — I need to enroll her here."

"I see." Yurika gave Sakura a sympathetic smile. "Of course I can do that for you, Hokage-sama. We don't have many rooms open right now, but I think…" She moved over and flipped through a large book on a desk in the corner. "Yes, we've got an opening in the Spring section, next to Naruto-kun's room. Would you like me to place her there?"

"If you would be so kind." The Hokage nodded agreeably. "I think she and Naruto-kun will become fast friends — they have a lot in common."

"I'm glad." Yurika smiled softly. "That boy needs a good friend. We do our best, but…"

"I know, Yurika-chan." Hiruzen put a gentle hand on her shoulder. "It's not your fault."

The young woman sighed. "I still think that you should consider moving him out, Hokage-sama. He's such a sweet boy, but with how the prospectives treat him… You know the children won't do anything that jeopardizes their chances of being adopted. I'd be willing to put in the time to help him out if you put him somewhere nearby, you know that — and I'm certainly not the only one. We all love him."

Sakura wasn't sure what they were talking about, but the despondent look on the old man's face made her sad.

"I know, Yurika-chan," he murmured, rubbing his face. "Are they still…"

"Bullying him? Yes, they are." The woman scowled. "We put a stop to it whenever we see them, but we can't be everywhere at once, and you know he'll never complain."

"I see." Hiruzen drooped, every bit of the joking grandfather gone from his visage. Enma rubbed his back, eyes solemn.

"They're bullyin' him?" Sakura demanded, scowling. Most of this might have gone over her head, but _that_ she understood. "Where're they?" She glared around the room, half-expecting a nasty child with a curly mustache to pop up from behind one of the potted plants.

The old man gave her a weak smile. "I can count on you to protect him, right Sakura-chan?"

"'course ya can, old man!" She declared, pounding her little fist on Enma's head. "Those bullies won' know what hit 'em!"

Yurika looked like she was suppressing laughter. "I appreciate the enthusiasm, Sakura-chan, but please — don't try to fight them. Just fetch one of us, and make sure to report any brief incidents. Fighting doesn't help, especially since they don't _hit_ him."

"My daddy always said tha' there's no bullyin' tha' can' be cured wit' a kick ta the nuts," Sakura replied, eye stormy.

The Hokage burst out laughing, and Yurika was unable to hold hers in this time as well. Enma hid it better, but the shaking of his shoulders was difficult to miss when you were riding on them.

"I think you'll have your hands full with this one, Yurika-chan," Hiruzen wheezed.

"Oh gods, tell me about it," the woman laughed, throwing her head back to stare at the ceiling. "I can hear the screaming now. And here I thought cleaning up after some of Naruto-kun's pranks was bad."

"Pranks?" Sakura leaned forward, eye sparkling.

Yurika took one look at the five-year-old's eager expression and turned to the Hokage, all humor gone from her face. "I see what you mean about her personality, Hokage-sama. Are you trying to kill me? Couldn't you just send one of those ANBU of yours and make it quick? That dashing fellow in the dog mask wouldn't make me suffer."

"Now, now." The old man chuckled. "I'm sure it won't be _that_ bad."

"With all due respect, Hokage-sama, Naruto-kun was able to paint every room in the building fluorescent pink on his own in a single night. You're giving him a partner in crime."

"…Good luck?" He offered, voice weak.

"Thank you, Hokage-sama," Yurika replied, rolling her eyes.

Hiruzen's sheepish grin set off another round of giggling from Sakura. If all of the staff were as nice as Yurika, then the old man was right — she would like it here. She ignored the pricking in her eye.


	4. Naruto

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, it belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.**

 **Naruto**

It hadn't taken long for the Hokage and Yurika to get the paperwork squared away, and Sakura was now officially in the care of the Hiroyuki Home. The Hokage and Enma were accompanying Yurika and Sakura to Sakura's new room, as the old man apparently intended to introduce her to Naruto personally.

"This door here is yours, Sakura-chan," Yurika told her with a smile.

The room past the door wasn't large, but it was nice — the walls were a pale blue and the bed, when Sakura flopped onto it, was very comfortable. Aside from the bed, the only furniture was a small dresser and a bedside table.

Sakura paused when a thought struck her. "Um… My stuff's at my house…" Her eye teared up, and she rubbed at it vigorously. She wasn't going to cry again. She wasn't!

"I can go with you to get it later, if you'd like." Yurika rested a hand on her shoulder.

Sakura nodded, sniffling. "'kay."

"Would you like to meet Naruto-kun now, Sakura-chan?" The Hokage asked, smiling at her.

Sakura closed her eye and took a deep breath. She was fine! "'kay."

As it turned out, Naruto's room was immediately to the left of hers. Yurika knocked on the door. "Naruto-kun? You have visitors!"

The door opened a moment later, revealing a short blonde boy with blue eyes and whisker-like marks on his cheeks. Sakura inspected him inquisitively, but he only had eyes for the Hokage.

"Who is it, Yurika-onee- Old man!" He threw himself at Hiruzen, who laughed and caught him up in a hug. When they pulled apart, Naruto gave Enma a bow. "King Enma! I thought you were coming tomorrow!"

"Why does the monkey get all the respect?" The Hokage grumbled playfully, shooting Enma a light glare.

"He _is_ a king. An' yer old," Sakura pointed out reasonably.

Yurika doubled over in laughter, and Enma's howling shook the walls. The old man was staring at Sakura with a betrayed expression. "Sakura-chan! I thought we were friends!"

"'s true though." She shrugged.

"Yeah, she's right." Naruto nodded along before doing a double take. "Wait — who're you?"

"Weren't ya listenin' ta the old man? I'm Sak'ra!"

"Oh." Naruto appeared to give this some consideration. "Why're you here?"

"'cuz I'm an orphan now, and the old man brought me to live here." Sakura was proud that her voice didn't hitch, but she was shaking.

"Oh." Tears beaded in Naruto's eyes and he hugged her. "'m sorry."

Sakura hugged him back, and he stiffened. "'s okay," she whispered, feeling tears starting to swell in her own eye again.

None of the adults interrupted them as they cried together, instead conversing quietly in the hallway.

Sakura gave Naruto a shaky smile when they finally pulled apart, and he returned it hesitantly. "'nks," she muttered, wiping her eye on her sleeve.

The Hokage coughed softly to get their attention. "Naruto-kun, while I did originally plan to visit you tomorrow, I'm here now — would you like to have our lunch today, and would it be all right with you if Sakura-chan joined us?"

"That'd be awesome!" Naruto's eyes were wide, and his enormous grin had returned. It dimmed slightly a moment later as he continued. "If, um. If Sak'ra-chan wants to come…"

"'Course I do!" Sakura replied, nodding rapidly. "Where're we gonna eat?"

"Ramen Ichiraku! 's the best in the village!" Naruto beamed at her.

"'kay! I've never been, so yer gonna have ta tell me wha's good."

"Okay!"

Hiruzen and Yurika traded a smile.

* * *

Ramen Ichiraku, as Sakura soon learned, was a small restaurant just off the main street. The smells drifting from behind the counter set her mouth watering immediately.

"Order whatever you'd like, Sakura-chan," the Hokage said with a smile. "It's on me."

Sakura's eye widened and she turned to Naruto. "Right, 'Ruto. What do ya like?"

"It's all good!" The boy's eyes sparkled. "The miso's good for beginners, though, 'cuz it's hard to beat the basics." The words sounded rehearsed, like he was repeating a quote.

"'kay, a bowl o' the miso please!"

"Coming right up!" The chef — Teuchi, the Hokage had called him — boomed, eyes crinkling as he grinned at her.

The first bite caused her eye to widen. "So goooood!" She inhaled the rest of her bowl. This was _not_ the kind of food her mother would have let her eat. She was grateful nobody commented on her sniffling.

"Isn't it?" Naruto was bouncing in his seat as he ate at the same rapid pace. "Another bowl, old man!"

"We c'n have seconds?" Sakura gasped.

"As many as you'd like." Hiruzen nodded.

"Gimme!"

By the time the children had finished eating, everyone in the room save Teuchi was staring at them. The Hokage had tears in his eyes and was staring mournfully at his wallet.

"How are there two of them?" He murmured. This was perhaps not entirely fair to Sakura — while she _had_ consumed six bowls, Naruto's _fourteen_ far outpaced her. To the man mourning the loss of his money, however, that seemed a minor distinction.

Enma snickered and patted him on the back. "You're the one who told her she could eat as much as she wanted, old friend."

"I know," he wailed. "I should have learned after the first time I brought Naruto here, but I never thought anybody else would eat so much!"

"Kids that age are walking stomachs. I remember how my Ayame was — she'd have outdone both of 'em combined," Teuchi laughed. "I'll only charge half for Sakura-chan's meal today, how does that sound? It's good to see Naruto making friends."

"Really?" The Hokage looked at Teuchi as if he were an angel.

"Only for today, of course," the man continued. "Next time you'll be paying the full price."

"Oh." Hiruzen's lower lip trembled. "Okay." He passed over the money without further comment, pointedly ignoring Enma's continued laughter.

"You come back now, you hear?" Teuchi told Sakura. "And take good care of Naruto."

"'o course!" Sakura declared. "'Ruto was right — this place is really good!"

"Glad to hear it!" The chef laughed.

* * *

The Hokage and Enma walked them back to the Hiroyuki Home. At the door, the old man stopped and sighed.

"I suppose I should be getting back to the tower… I can't put _all_ of my work on a clone. There are actually some rather interesting laws surrounding the use of clones for decision-making in emergencies, in fact…" The Hokage trailed off. "Ah, but I suppose that kind of topic wouldn't interest you very much, would it?"

Sakura stared up at him with a grimace. "Nope. Sounds _boring_."

"Yeah," Naruto agreed, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. "Sorry, old man."

"Oh, it's fine." He waved his hand dismissively. "It's not something you'll need to worry about unless you rise to important management-level positions, anyway. I believe Sakura-chan has expressed an interest in being a ninja — have you given it any more thought, Naruto-kun?"

"Sak'ra-chan wants to be a ninja?" Naruto stared at Sakura as if he was seeing her for the first time.

"Yep!" She chirped.

"Oh." The boy chewed on his bottom lip. "I… Guess I'll have to think about it a lil' more then, old man…"

"It's quite all right to take your time, Naruto." The Hokage smiled at him. "It's not the life for everybody, and you still have two years to decide. Don't feel any pressure."

"Okay." Naruto nodded, looking deep in thought.

"I'll be by to visit next Thursday, as usual," Hiruzen promised. "If you need me before then, Sakura-chan, you can always visit the tower. Naruto can show you the way — he drops by often enough."

The boy smiled sheepishly. "Yeah, guess I do."

"Well, time for me to get going."

The Hokage was immediately tackled by two children, and he happily wrapped them up in a hug. Enma slid closer, arms outstretched, and Hiruzen's eyes widened. "Enma, no. No no no- Hrk."

The monkey king's tight embrace squished the poor old man's back while pressing the laughing children gently against his stomach.

"Damn it, Enma," the Hokage croaked.


	5. Breakfast with a Princess

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, it belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.**

 **Breakfast with a Princess**

Sakura and Naruto sat on the floor of Naruto's room, staring at each other in silence. The Hokage had been gone for an hour, and neither had spoken a word.

Sakura was tired of that. "So what d'ya do for fun?" She asked.

"Um." Naruto nibbled on his lip. "I like to read, I guess…?" His eyes strayed to a small bookshelf next to the foot of his bed.

"Really?" Sakura's eye widened.

"I'm not very good at it," Naruto admitted, cheeks reddening. "But—" Sakura put a hand on his shoulder, and he fell silent.

"'Ruto," Sakura declared. "Bein' able to read at our age is _really cool_."

"I-It is?" Naruto stuttered.

Sakura nodded vehemently. "My father…" Her voice hitched. "My father said so, an' he was always right."

"O-Oh." Naruto had a hesitant smile on his face.

"What else do ya do? Any games ya like?" Sakura asked.

"…Yurika-onee-chan sometimes plays catch with me," Naruto mumbled. "An' Kei-onii-chan brings the dolls he makes for us to play with sometimes…" His eyes lit up. "Oh!" He ran over to his bedside table and pulled something out of the drawer. He hurried back over and held it out to Sakura. "He made these ones for _me_!"

Sakura carefully examined the small wooden dolls in Naruto's hands. They were of a rougher make than she was used to, but there was something about them… and with how Naruto was cradling them as if they were the most priceless things in the world… "They're really good!" Sakura beamed back at Naruto. "They look really loved!"

Naruto nodded, a hint of pink in his cheeks. "Y-Yeah…" He began to turn around, but Sakura caught his arm.

"Wanna play with 'em?"

Naruto's smile was blinding.

"Naruto-kun? Sakura-chan? It's time for—" Yurika cut herself off, gazing fondly down at the children.

They had fallen asleep lying against each other in a small nest made out of what she strongly suspected were the blankets and pillows from the rooms belonging to _both_ of the children. The dolls Kei had made for Naruto were still out, the arrangement of books suggesting that they had been adventuring in some kind of castle.

"I suppose you both _did_ have a big lunch," Yurika let her voice fall to a whisper. "Sweet dreams, you two." She flicked the light off, but not before turning on Naruto's night-light and moving it closer to the nest on the floor. As she closed the door with a soft click, the orphanage worker allowed herself to hope for the first time that Naruto's future would truly be as bright as she had always wanted it to be.

Sakura woke up to sunlight on her face and a soft tickling in her ear. She rubbed at her eye, wondering where she was — it didn't _feel_ like her bed.

The events of the last few days came rushing back to her when she turned her head and saw Naruto's face. It was still and peaceful, and… Sakura nearly screamed, but then she felt a breath ghost across her cheek, and so she cried silently instead. He was alive.

Naruto was alive, and Sakura was alive… but her parents weren't. Her sobs grew more pronounced when her mind flew to Itachi-sensei and the Hokage — were they okay? Itachi-sensei was a ninja, and wasn't that really dangerous? And the old man… he was so old! What if his oldness had killed him during the night, like her Nana's had? King Enma was probably okay — Sakura couldn't imagine the Shinigami itself being able to do anything to him — and Yurika-onee-chan was young and seemed healthy, but what if…

A pair of arms wrapped themselves tightly around Sakura. She wasn't really able to make out Naruto's expression through the film of her tears, but she could tell that he was awake, and buried her face in his hair as she returned the hug with all the strength that her shaking arms could muster.

"'R-Ruto…?"

"Yes, Sak'ra-chan?" Naruto sounded worried.

"C-C'n we go see the old man…?"

"Of course!" Naruto's head bobbed rapidly underneath Sakura's face. "Um…" He twisted a little. "'s almost six… he should be in the Tower by now, so…" Naruto helped Sakura to her feet. "D'ya wanna take a shower 'n change first?"

Sakura looked down at herself. She would have liked to, but… "I don't have any clothes ta change into…"

"Oh." Naruto nibbled on his lip. "Um… You're a little smaller'n me, but…" He shuffled his feet. "If ya wanna borrow some of my clothes…?"

"Ya mean it…?" Sakura's eye widened.

"'Course!" Naruto nodded. "We're, um… friends, right…?" He looked nervous, and that made Sakura angry.

"'Course we are!" Sakura gave him her fiercest grin.

Naruto beamed back, and grabbed two pairs of clothing from his dresser before showing Sakura to the bathroom.

"Good morning Naruto-kun, Sakura-chan." The Hokage gave the pair a tired smile as his secretary departed. "You're up quite early this morning."

"Yer okay…" Sakura felt tears beading in her eye, and she launched herself at the old man. He caught her effortlessly and cradled her gently against his chest.

"I am indeed," the old man murmured, his hand stroking her back. "I don't plan to go anywhere for some time yet, Sakura-chan. I promise."

Sakura sniffled, but nodded. "I-Is Itachi-sensei okay…?"

"I'm sure he is." Hiruzen's voice was soft. "Would you like me to send a message to him?"

Sakura nodded again, trusting the old man to feel the motion against his body.

"Just a moment."

Sakura felt the Hokage's arm move and heard a soft puff, and then there was silence. The old man sat down and shifted her onto his lap, then his arm moved again and she felt Naruto climbing up beside her. One of his arms wrapped around her, and Sakura tried to focus on the feeling of being hugged rather than her fear.

"Itachi-kun has received my message." There was a smile in the Hokage's voice. "Have the two of you eaten breakfast yet?"

Sakura shook her head.

"Would the two of you like to eat with Itachi-kun?"

"Y-Yes!" Sakura was slightly ashamed at how desperate she sounded — her mother had always called that tone of voice unbecoming — but she _needed_ to see that Itachi-sensei was okay.

"W-Would he want me there…?" Naruto sounded scared.

"'Course he would!" Sakura growled, twisting so that she could gaze into Naruto's eyes. "'tachi-sensei's the most awesomest ninja ever and he's gonna love you, you'll see!"

"…Okay." Naruto still looked worried, but it was tempered by an air of slight resignation. "Will you be coming, old man?"

"As much as I would love to, I'm afraid that there are matters that require my personal attention." The Hokage frowned. "I will, however send a clone to show you the way to the restaurant Itachi-kun has selected." A smile appeared on his lips again. "And Itachi-kun will be bringing a surprise with him that should more than make up for the absence of a boring old man like me."

"Yer not _that_ boring!" Sakura protested, even as her mind went to work imagining what kind of surprise Itachi-sensei would have for them. A dragon? A princess? Sakura's eye widened as she considered the ultimate possibility — what if Itachi-sensei brought a _dragon princess_?

The old man roared with laughter, causing the children in his lap to bounce. "I'm glad to hear that you only find me a _little_ boring, Sakura-chan," he teased.

"Yer welcome!" Sakura beamed up at him.

She could still hear the old man's laughter echoing through the hall as she and Naruto followed a shadow clone out of the room.

"'tachi-sensei!" Sakura waved wildly. That was really him — he was really okay! And… what was that hiding behind him…?

Sakura's breath caught in her throat. She barely noticed the popping noise as the Hokage's shadow clone dispersed.

"A _real princess_ …" She whispered, eye almost painfully wide.

"Wow…" Naruto breathed. He sounded as stunned as she was.

The girl behind Itachi was smaller than Sakura, and her skin was as pale as Itachi's. With her long, straight black hair and delicate features, she almost looked like a doll.

There was no doubt at all in Sakura's mind that the girl was a princess. Who else could be that beautiful?

A soft smile appeared on Itachi-sensei's face, and he tried to nudge the princess forward — but she clung to his leg, refusing to meet Sakura's eyes. "Good morning, Sakura-chan. This is my younger sister, Kiyoko."

"Ya din't tell me ya were a prince, 'tachi-sensei!" Sakura gasped. If his sister was a princess, then Itachi-sensei was a prince, right? That was how it worked. And… didn't that mean she had been saved by a prince, just like in the stories? Sakura felt her lips twisting into a pout. She didn't want that! She was supposed to be the one _doing_ the saving! She'd just have to save Itachi-sensei _twice_ someday, to make up for it.

"I assure you, I am no prince." Something in Itachi-sensei's expression looked pained. "…However, I will not deny that Kiyoko is a princess." His hand came down to gently ruffle the princess's hair, careful not to disturb its perfection.

Sakura's brow furrowed as she tried to figure that one out. How could Itachi-sensei's sister be a princess if he wasn't a prince…? Was there something she didn't know about princesses?

"Say hello, Kiyoko-chan." Itachi-sensei had knelt and wrapped his arms around the princess' shoulders, turning her gently so that she was facing Sakura and Naruto. "These are Sakura-chan and Naruto-san. They are good people, I promise. You do not need to be scared of them."

Sakura heard something almost like a sob from Naruto's position.

"H-Hello…" Kiyoko-hime whispered. She immediately spun back around and buried her face against Itachi-sensei.

"Hi!" Sakura replied, beaming. Internally, she was scheming — poor Kiyoko-hime was obviously shy, and Sakura wanted to help break her out of that shell. She was way too pretty to keep hiding her face!

"H-Hi!" Naruto's voice was choked, but he sounded happy.

"Shall we go inside?" Itachi-sensei's voice was warm. "This establishment makes wonderful pancakes. The meal is my treat, so you may feel free to have as many as you would like." He cut off Sakura's immediate attempt to protest with a stern look, and she conceded defeat.

"Thanks, 'tachi-sensei!"

"T-Thank you very much, Itachi-san."

Sakura reached out and gripped Naruto's hand — he still sounded overwhelmed. Yurika-onee-chan had said people were bullying him… Was it really bad enough to make him be _this_ surprised when people were nice…?

Sakura resolved to find the bullies as soon as possible and deliver a righteous kicking.

They settled into a table with booths, Sakura and Naruto on one side and Itachi-sensei and Kiyoko-hime on the other. Kiyoko-hime was still clinging to Itachi-sensei, but she had begun shooting Sakura and Naruto curious looks. Sakura made sure she was smiling every time their eyes met — even if Kiyoko-hime always pulled her gaze away immediately, Sakura hoped it was helping.

"How old are ya, Kiyoko-hime?" Sakura bounced in her seat. "I'm five!"

"So'm I," Naruto chipped in.

"…Five," Kiyoko-hime mumbled into Itachi-sensei's side.

"We're all five! Isn't that great?" Sakura beamed. "What do ya like ta do for fun?"

Kiyoko-hime slowly peeled herself off of Itachi-sensei, eyes finally _really_ meeting Sakura's own. "I…" She glanced down at the table, then back up at Sakura. "I like spending time with Itachi-onii-chan…"

"Yer so lucky," Sakura complained. "'tachi-sensei's super cool! I want him ta be my older brother, too!"

"He's mine!" Kiyoko-hime looked terrified, and she immediately grabbed back onto Itachi-sensei's arm. "Y-You can't take him away from me! Please…" Tears were beading in the corners of her eyes.

"I-I would never do somethin' like that!" Sakura's eye widened. "Promise!"

"Y-You mean it…?" Kiyoko-hime's unshed tears glistened.

"'Course!"

"Yeah, Sak'ra-chan's real nice! She'd never do that!" Naruto agreed, nodding rapidly.

"O-Oh." Kiyoko-hime's grip on Itachi-sensei's arm weakened, and she let her arms fall into her lap. "…Okay."

"I… I like reading," Naruto volunteered.

"I like playin' tag." Sakura smiled widely. "'s not much fun with jus' two, so… You wanna play with us sometime, Kiyoko-hime?"

Kiyoko-hime's eyes widened. "You want to play with _me_ …?"

"'Course we do!" Naruto sounded earnest.

Sakura glanced up at Itachi-sensei. He was gazing down at them, a gentle smile on his face. It looked like a weight she hadn't noticed had been lifted from his shoulders.

"A-And you…?" Kiyoko-hime was gazing at Sakura, something desperate in her eyes.

"'s why I asked!" Sakura nodded her head rapidly, eye staring directly into one of Kiyoko-hime's.

Kiyoko-hime looked down at the table and closed her eyes, her shoulders tensing. "I-I would like that!"

"Yes!" Sakura cheered.

It was then that their breakfast arrived, putting an end to the conversation. Sakura stuffed her face, envying the perfect way in which Itachi-sensei and Kiyoko-hime ate but not quite willing to eat as slowly as she would need to in order to attempt to mimic their grace. Naruto was the real surprise for her — rather than shoveling his food down like he had with the ramen the previous day, he was eating at a sedate pace. Sakura wondered why that was.

Sakura only managed to eat one stack of pancakes, still a little stuffed from all of the ramen she had eaten the previous day. Naruto ate three stacks, and Sakura suspected he'd have eaten more if it had been the old man who was paying. Itachi-sensei, like Sakura, had eaten only one stack… but Kiyoko-hime had eaten five.

Sakura held in a giggle — she didn't think Kiyoko-hime would appreciate being laughed at, even if Sakura didn't mean anything cruel by it. She just thought it was funny that the smallest, most delicate one at the table was the one who ate the most.

Itachi-sensei checked his watch. "It appears that I have several free hours remaining." His gaze swept around the table. "If Kiyoko and Naruto-san are amenable, I would be willing to give you your first lesson alongside them, Sakura-chan."

"Really?" Sakura's eye widened.

"I dunno if I wanna be a ninja," Naruto whispered.

"You're allowed not to be?" Kiyoko-hime's voice was barely a whisper, and her eyes were wide as she gazed at Naruto.

"E-Everyone is, right?" Naruto rubbed the back of his head.

"I thought so," Sakura agreed, frowning.

"Things are somewhat different if you are born into a ninja clan." Itachi-sensei grimaced.

"Oh." Naruto gazed down at the table. "Um, I don't wanna be the reason Sak'ra-chan doesn't get the trainin' she wants, so, um… could I just watch…?"

"Certainly." Itachi-sensei inclined his head. "If you change your mind, you are welcome to join in." He looked down at Kiyoko-hime and raised an eyebrow.

"Can I watch with Naruto-san?" Kiyoko-hime whispered.

Itachi-sensei's eyes were sad. "Of course you can."

 **AN:**

 **So I sat down to write the next chapter of Acheron, but I ended up with this instead. I'm not entirely sure why, but I'm not going to complain, either — I really like some of the backstory work I did for this fic, and since I did literally all of it by hand that means that this is the only (posted prior to the whole mess) story I have that I didn't really lose anything critical for when my hard drive died. So that's nice!**

 **Despite this delay, an Acheron update should be showing up sooner rather than later.**


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